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We don’t have much time today to dive into all the mistakes people are making when planning their content (maybe that’s a topic for a future piece).
But I do want to call out the biggest mistake I’ve seen so far working with clients — especially with early-stage founders and small teams:
They don’t have a content strategy. And more importantly, their content doesn’t have a purpose.
It’s not because someone’s lazy or bad at marketing. It’s usually because they’re moving fast, shipping, doing 100 things at once. So their website/social media content becomes this weird mix of:
this seems cool, let’s post it
we need to announce this ASAP
everyone else is talking about this, so should we
we haven’t posted in a while, quick, let's just post something
And that’s how you end up with a LinkedIn grid (or a blog, or a newsletter, or whatever channel floats your boat) that looks pretty random. A launch post next to a meme next to… silence for months.
Which is why this matters more than people think:
Every piece of content needs a purpose.
Random posts will get you random results.
With that said, if you give each of your posts a purpose, you’ll know what to create, when to post it, and what ROI to expect from your content. Which, if we’re honest if the whole purpose of creating content for your business in the first place. :)
In this first issue, I want to teach you a simple way to think about the purpose of your content.
At the end, you’ll have:
a simple framework for how to structure your content
CTAs that actually lead somewhere
a simple “balance” you can start with (even if you’re a tiny team)
calmness on Fridays because you finally figured out a content strategy that works
a long-ass list of content examples you can copy/paste
sidenote: I put the examples at the end of the newsletter on purpose. I want you to read the theory before you start posting.
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Your new content framework
Here goes the magic (read: easy) formula:
Love, Educate, Sell.
You create and share content that:
shows love to your audience, community, or customers
invests in educating them
and sprinkle in content that has a direct bridge to buying, booking, or trialing your product
When creating content, always ask:
Does this connect, teach, or sell?
So simple. All you need to do once you apply it is figure out the right balance for your business goal.
Now let’s dive deeper into the categories.
Content for Love
Love content is usually what gets people to follow you in the first place. It’s the “I like them” category. Creating love content should be fun and easy. It’s usually the content you spend the least time creating.
Why to create it:
because it makes your brand relatable and memorable
The question to ask yourself when creating:
how can we connect with our customers?
what would they love to see?
what’s something fun our team is doing we could share?
The goal of love content is to:
show that you care
share your company's achievements, values, and customer love
have space for your brand to be authentic, follow a few trends, and have fun
Content for Education
Education content is where you teach. It’s what makes people trust you and come back because they actually learn something. This can be quick tips or deeper pieces, but the point is: someone should leave smarter than they arrived.
Why create it:
because it positions you as a trusted voice and builds authority
The question to ask yourself when creating:
what do we know that would actually help our customers?
what does the market need education on?
what do we wish every customer understood before they start?
The goal of education content is to:
position you / your company as a thought leader in the industry
answer questions people already ask
make someone think: ok, they know what they’re doing
If you don’t know what to educate on, start with:
top questions your customers ask
things you are doing differently from others
what I wish everyone knew before they started
things your team repeats all the time (in onboarding, support, sales)
Content for Selling
Selling content is an equally important piece of the puzzle. And it's the one where you stop being subtle and instead show that you are proud of what you are building and how your future customers can start now. It’s the content that makes it obvious what you do, who it’s for, and how someone can take the next step.
Why create it:
because your business needs revenue (duh) and your audience needs the clear next step on how to buy
The question to ask yourself when creating:
how do we make it easy for the right people to take the next step?
what’s the most convincing proof we have right now?
what would make someone confident enough to buy / book / trial?
The goal of selling content is to:
show off the cool stuff you are building
show outcomes your customers can get
make the next step from them obvious
Why you need all three
This is where balance matters:
too much Love → fun but forgettable, and no one is buying
too much Education → respected but again, and no one is buying
too much Selling → pushy and people tune out
Balance = your authentic voice that connects, teaches, and converts.
Love, Education, and Selling Content Framework (attempted diagram)
How to figure out your Love / Educate / Sell ratio
The easy answer is: it depends on what you need right now.:) But don't worry, I’ll help you figure that out.
So, ideally, you’re building an audience that likes your brand, learns something from you, and feels proud to become your customer.
And yes, I truly believe you need all three to get there. But the balance of how many posts should be Love vs Education vs Sell depends on:
what stage you’re in
what your business needs this month, quarter, or year
and what your audience needs in order to take action (this part is different across industries)
If you’re early-stage (and especially if you’re still finding your voice)
You really don’t want to be one of those companies that posts one big customer quote, one fundraising announcement, one “new brand!” post …and then disappears for 3 months.
So early on, I’d focus on Love + Education, and then slowly build up your selling content as you build trust.
A simple early-stage balance could look like: Love 5 posts : Education 4 posts : Sell 1 post
You can also take your customers on a journey and show them your product building live — what you’re working on, what you’re learning, what you’re launching. And if your product isn’t available yet, you still need all 3 in my eyes. You’re connecting and building trust and hopefully converting people to your socials, newsletter, and waitlist.
If you’re building something new (and your market needs convincing)
Some products don’t need convincing, because people already get it right away. Others need education because the category is new, the problem is misunderstood, or the “old way” is so normal that people don’t even question it.
In those cases, you’ll probably need more Education content upfront. I’m thinking posts like:
“here’s the problem”
“here’s why the old way is broken”
“here’s what innovation looks like”
“here’s how to think about it”
A balance for this might look like: Love 3 posts : Education 5 posts : Sell 2 posts
If your goal for the next 3–6 months is audience growth
If the goal is: “we need more people to know we exist” — then Love + Education is your go-to.
Not because selling is bad, but because selling without trust-building first just might not work.
Your ratio here would be: Love 4 posts : Education 5 posts : Sell 1 post
If you already have an audience, but it’s not converting
This is the one I see all the time. Founders post often, build in public, but then they avoid selling because it feels awkward, or they don’t want to be that person.
But if you’ve built trust and you’re not converting, chances are you’re simply not making it obvious what people can do next (and of course, for the context of this exercise, I’m assuming your content is the problem, not the product itself).
At this point, I’d make sure at least one-third of your content is selling.
The ratio: Love 2 posts : Education 4 posts : Sell: 4 posts
And if you try this and it still doesn’t move? It’s usually not more selling you need. The issue might be having better CTAs, better offers, and clearer wording and path for the customer to take.
Content examples (finally)
Content For Love
Behind-the-scenes: what broke, how was X built, first iteration
New customer shoutout (with permission or anonymized)
Screenshot of a real customer message + what it taught you
Customer win post (with your product or service)
Milestones: 100 users, first $X, first enterprise deal, first churn lesson
Founder story: one specific moment + one specific takeaway (not a memoir, please)
Team spotlight, offsite, birthday, new hire
Behind-the-scenes of your workflow (content, sales, onboarding, support)
Community moments: best question of the week, funniest feedback, recurring pain point
Opinionated “we’re not doing this anymore” (tools, processes, strategies)
Trend/day posts only if you can make it you (otherwise skip)
Content For Education
Share an industry article + your take
Simple 101 starter guides for people entering your space
A step-by-step post (tools + order + time estimate)
Webinar recap: your takeaways + link to recording
Customer call learnings: “We heard this 7 times this month. Here’s what it means.”
Onboarding lessons: “What successful customers do in week 1 (and what breaks).”
A glossary post: the 10 terms people misuse in your industry
“How we do X internally”: your process, doc, checklist, or meeting cadence
“Here’s the email/script we use” (sales, onboarding, community, recruiting)
“Common mistakes” post with your advice
Mini playbook series that educates (and incorporates your product)
“If I started from zero today”: what you’d do in the first week/month (in your market)
Interview recap: 3 insights you stole + how you’d apply them
Content For Selling
Product demo: one use-case, one outcome, one CTA
“Here’s who this is for / not for” (super effective, rarely done)
Customer testimonial with context + CTA
Case study: before → after → how → proof → CTA
Feature spotlight: what it fixes, for whom, and why it matters
“What you get when you work with us” (deliverables + timeline)
Pricing/packaging explainer
Comparison: old way vs new way
“Start here” post (best first step + link)
Launch sequence: tease → problem → solution → proof → CTA
Limited-time offer (only if it’s real, otherwise don’t)
“We have 3 spots this month” (service-based)
FAQ selling: implementation time, effort required, what success looks like
“What happens after you book a call / start a trial” (reduce friction)
Reach out if you need any help with your content strategy.:)
And thanks for reading!
